Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza (upper photo) calls on leaders advocating for the sanctity of life to get actively involved in the protection of the country’s natural resources which are now facing threats from man’s profligate use. Atienza made the call during the National ECFL-CBCP Directors and Coordinators Consultative Meeting at the Cebu Midtown Hotel in Cebu City. Around 200 pro-life leaders from Visayas and Mindanao attended the gathering, which has for its theme, “Together as one, we stand up and fight for the family and life.”

As President of Pro-Life Philippines, I am calling on leaders advocating for the sanctity of life to get actively involved in the protection of the country’s natural resources that are now facing threats from man’s profligate use.

As pro-life leaders whose advocacy is the preservation of the life of the unborn child, I urge each of you to secure for the children of this generation and the coming generations a world rich in natural resources that we have been blessed with.

Even the unborn child in a mother’s womb faces environmental threats such as pollution and severe degradation that imperil his or her survival on earth. Again, I am calling on pro-life leaders to protect the country’s environment and natural resources as being pro-life is synonymous to being pro-environment.

The deterioration of values among today’s generation that is manifested by apathy to the conservation of the environment and to the annihilation of life in the mother’s womb. The situation presents both a disturbing yet very challenging task not only among government leaders but also to civic leaders in reorienting the youth on the value of life and of the environment through appropriate communication strategies.

Our youth, by their lack of understanding and guidance and pressure from outside influences, are getting astray from the very values we Filipinos have long nurtured. Our duty, as their leaders, is to provide them with the necessary guidance to win them back by strengthening our advocacy in promoting a culture of life in this country.

In light of the coming national and local elections, I am reiterating the need to elect qualified leaders who have passed the test of experience, competence, and one who staunchly promotes the values of family life and adheres to the rule of law in the country’s governance.

Any leader who thinks that population is a problem to our economic progress is definitely out of his mind. Good governance, sustainable use of natural resources, and equal distribution of opportunities are the key elements to the country’s genuine progress and not population control.

From where I am sitting now as DENR secretary, I could see an abundance of natural wealth that could sustain a healthy growth for the country. It is just being abused by the powerful and the greedy. Let us collectively put a stop to this by properly selecting our leaders.

Former Manila Assemblyman, General Manager of the National Housing Authority, Manila Vice-Mayor for 6 years, Mayor of Manila for 9 years, and Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources